Is Chiropractic Covered by Medicare?

Medicare Chiropractic Coverage

Is chiropractic covered by Medicare? Learn about Medicare coverage for chiropractic care in your state.

Medicare coverage for visits to the Chiropractor

A great place to check your Medicare benefits is in the “Medicare & You” handbook that’s delivered annually. In the 2016 handbook, individuals can find whether Chiropractic services are covered. Chiropractic visits are covered by Medicare, but with limited coverage.

What chiropractic services are covered by Medicare

Services a chiropractor has limited coverage under Medicare Part B. Chiropractic services are covered by Medicare to help correct a subluxation. In most guides it’s phrased as “A manual manipulation of the spine to correct subluxation.”

What is subluxation? I recently asked a Chiropractor in Lincoln, NE, of Tarnick Chiropractic & Acupuncture, about subluxations:

Subluxations may occur in infancy from a difficult birth or from childhood falls. Later in life, emotional tension or stress can gradually damage your spine. Violent injuries from automobile accidents or sports can also cause spinal misalignment and pain. Degeneration associated with the normal aging process is yet another factor that can lead to spinal nerve stress.Dr. Ryan Tarnick, a Chiropractor in Lincoln, NE

Medicare coverage will help pay for a slight misalignment of the vertebrae, or subluxation. Therefore, a Medicare Supplement plan will help fill the gaps. Depending on your Medigap coverage.

Chiropractic Services Not Covered by Medicare

Medicare beneficiaries are responsible to pay all costs for any other services or tests that are ordered by a chiropractor. Services that aren’t covered are, but not limited to:

X-Rays

Massage Therapy

Acupuncture

If you’re on a Medicare Supplement, the plan will not pay for these services either. If Original Medicare does not cover the chiropractic services, the Medigap coverage will not either.

If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, check inside your benefits of coverage to see what chiropractic services are covered.

When going to a chiropractor’s office, make sure they accept Medicare. If you’re on a Medicare Advantage Plan, make sure they are either in your plans network. If they aren’t in your plans network, make sure they accept your plan if you have a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) or a Point-of-Service (POS).

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